Written by Monica Landro
La Milanesiana, an extraordinary event born from the mind and direction of Elisabetta Sgarbi, a multifaceted figure on the Italian cultural scene, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Best known for this prestigious festival held every summer, in addition to her work in the cultural sphere, Elisabetta Sgarbi is also a writer and has collaborated with various Italian magazines and newspapers.
From 20th May until 9th August, this celebration will pass through 25 cities and end in St. Moritz, Switzerland. La Milanesiana is a unique fusion of Literature, Music, Cinema, Science, Art, Philosophy, Theatre, Law, Economics, Sport and Comics.
Each year, La Milanesiana focuses on a central theme that permeates the entire programme. This year, the leitmotif will be SHYNESS (and its opposites), exploring the art of observing and listening to the world and the lives of others. In an age where we are often immersed in a whirlwind of activities and stimuli, we risk losing sight of what really matters. The theme of shyness, together with its opposites, such as histrionics and extroversion, invites us to reflect on the search for peace in a world marked by wars, one of the main themes of this edition.
We met with her to talk about this very comprehensive and stimulating activity in every cultural field.
In a society where boldness and shamelessness dominate and even gain acceptance, how did you choose the theme of shyness and what messages or reflections do you hope to convey?
Shyness is a characteristic that belongs to me, as does the effort to overcome it. But it is, in general, a quality that takes on very different nuances, but which nonetheless offers a key to interpret the world. A theme that is only apparently intimate, if compared to the hellish noise of the world around us, to the wars that are coming ever closer to us, indeed are already here with us. But only apparently, I was saying: Shyness is a way of looking at the world while also considering the worlds of others. Indeed, especially considering the worlds of others.
Shyness is first and foremost listening, and it loves peace, a term we used to take for granted, but which now resembles a chimera.
I cannot, however, hide my fascination for the opposites of Shyness, for the histrionics and extroversion that belong less to me, but whose beauty I perceive all the same.
La Milanesiana covers a very wide range of artistic disciplines, from literature and music to cinema, art and philosophy. So many famous national and international personalities take part: how do you choose the guests to invite?
La Milanesiana starts on 20th May with the presence of Anne Carson, the great Canadian poet and essayist, who has been missing in Italy for many years. Her ‘Autobiography of the Red’ is a classic, a novel in verse, inspired by mythology, which has at its centre an introverted, abused boy in love. A novel that is now 25 years old, and which for 25 years has continued to speak to us. The 25th edition of the Milanesiana is ideally dedicated to Anne Carson – whose presence at the Milanesiana I have been chasing for 25 years – and to Geryon, the protagonist of Autobiography of Red. And Geryon, the protagonist of this extraordinary book, is the perfect synthesis between our focus on Nature and the theme of Shyness.
It is a large travelling festival that will involve 25 cities and will end in St. Moritz in Switzerland, giving rise to an international expansion. Is there the will, in the future, to further expand the festival to other cities in Europe?
We have been to Paris in the past editions, this year to Budapest with Nino Migliori’s exhibition ‘Beyond the Mirror’ and we will be in St. Moritz. La Milanesiana is by nature a diffusive project. I always quote a phrase that is not mine:
Passions have no windows. La Milanesiana is the fruit of my passion and tends to disregard time and geographical limits.
Every year, La Milanesiana hosts a series of art exhibitions: what can you tell us about this year’s? Art&Glamour is the first Italian magazine that combines eroticism, art photography, art and current affairs, focusing on the body for its expressive capacity. Do you see in any of the artists you have chosen for this year’s exhibitions a particular interest in the human body?
Exhibitions are an essential part, as you rightly point out. It is difficult to make a choice, but I would particularly like to focus on Cosmo Sallustio, a painter whose exhibition is being held for the first time. A real discovery. Oils, ink, pencils in which the human body takes on different, disturbing, looming forms. I invite you to discover it. In Bergamo, at the Ceribelli Gallery. It is thanks to the care of his daughter, Monica, that I discovered this extraordinary artist. The love of children can sometimes give people new life.
The event also has a strong educational element, with events also suitable for young people. How do you think interaction with art and culture can influence the new generations? Which author in particular would you recommend a high school student to come and listen to?
A young person doesn’t get advice. It would certainly do the opposite. I trust in the curiosity of young people. It is an extraordinary quality that can take them very far,
and especially far from what I would advise. I propose what I love. And when I see a boy discovering and appreciating a writer or a musician or a painter that I love, I am delighted. But advice, I try not to give.
How do you imagine the future of the Milanesiana in the coming years, also taking into account the evolution of technology and the advent of artificial intelligence?
We dedicate a section at the Volvo Studio in Milan to artificial intelligence. I imagine it like this and always different. Like that but full of new ideas. Like the riddle of Theseus’ Ship: as time went by, all the pieces of it were replaced. And the philosophers would argue: is it the same Ship or a new Ship?
